The invention relates to a system for fixing sun protection cloths made of widths of fabric for providing shade and as a screen for balconies or patios of houses, where the sun protection cloth is fixed to two guiding elements extending parallel to each other, such as tensioning wires or tensioning ropes at different heights, the ends of which are supported by stretching or retaining devices attached to the house.
A generic fixing system is known from German utility model 29519259, for example.
In the fixing method illustrated there, the sun protection cloths are fixed to the tensioning ropes with the aid of sliding hooks in a manner permitting displacement in the longitudinal direction of the tensioning ropes.
The disadvantage of the known fixing system is, however, that the tensioning ropes for supporting the sun protection cloths have to be fixed to side walls of the house. Consequently, the known system is, for example, not suitable for use with sun protection cloths for providing shade or acting as a screen on projecting balconies or on smooth house walls, owing to the absence of side walls in such circumstances.
The object of the invention is to create an easy-to-mount system for fixing sun protection cloths, which can be used to provide shade on projecting balconies or patios of houses.
According to the invention, the object is solved in that the stretching or retaining devices for the lower guiding element are fixed to the balcony guard-rail or the hand rail of the balcony guard-rail by means of detachable clamp-type or screw-type connections and can completely or partially be made to pivot and/or fixed by springs in a first plane located perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the guard-rail or hand rail and/or in a send horizontal plane located perpendicular to the first plane.
Thus, in the system according to the invention, the stretching or retaining devices for the lower guiding element are clamped or screwed onto the balcony guard-rail or the hand rail of the balcony guard-rail. They can be pivoted and/or fixed by springs in a plane lying parallel to the longitudinal extension of the guard-rail, meaning that the effective distance between two stretching or retaining devices is variable, thus allowing tensioning of the ropes running between the stretching and retaining devices without having to use additional tensioning elements.
In addition, the retaining devices can be designed or fixed in such a way that they can also be pivoted in a plane located perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the guard-rail or the hand rail.
As a result, the tensioning ropes can be pivoted in an arc about the hand rail, for example, so that the height and position of the lower guiding element can be adapted to the local conditions and the wishes of the user. For example, this makes it possible to adjust the inclination of the sun protection cloth or to open the sun protection cloth in such a way that it is virtually impossible to see onto the balcony from the outside. In this context, the length of the retaining device is designed in such a way as to ensure a sufficient distance between the tensioning rope or sun protection cloth and any plants present on the balcony.
In order to be able to perform the pivoting or rotary movements according to the invention, the stretching or retaining device is preferably designed as a supporting arm. In this context, the supporting arm is either in one piece or assembled from two or three pieces and displays, for example, a supporting base and a retaining arm which can be fixed on the supporting base.
In this context, for optional mounting on the guard-rail or the hand rail, the supporting base displays a clamping plate with a bulge which can, for example, be screwed onto the outside of the guard-rail or fixed in place in the desired position on the hand rail by means of a clamping device. In order to permit pivoting of the supporting base even when fixed to the outside of the guard-rail, the supporting base can be pivotable in fixable fashion via a joint in the first plane mentioned above.
The retaining arms for fixing the guiding elements or tensioning ropes are fixed on the supporting bases in such a position that the tensioning rope is taut and can hold the sun protection cloth.
In a one-piece configuration of the supporting base and the retaining arm, the mount consists, for example, of a metal bracket rotated through an angle of 90xc2x0, which is under elastic pretension for tensioning the rope when fixed appropriately.
In order to be able to pivot the retaining arm into different positions relative to the supporting base and fix it in the desired position, another advantageous configuration of the invention can be provided with an adapter forming an intermediate element between the retaining arm and the supporting base. This adapter can realise the described function of the supporting arm by way of corresponding fixing plates that permit variable positioning of the retaining arm.
If the supporting base is fixed on the hand rail of the balcony guard-rail, the supporting base preferably has, as previously mentioned, a bulge which reaches around the hand rail on one side and interacts with a clamping plate on the other side of the hand rail. The flanks of the bulge preferably enclose an angle of roughly 90xc2x0 to 120xc2x0, so that hand rails with circular cross-sections of various diameters are suitable for fixing the supporting base.
Moreover, the bulge can also be curved in the shape of an arch, in order to avoid excessively high linear forces of pressure which could cause damage to the hand rail.
In order to be able to fix the supporting base to a hand rail with a rectangular cross-section, another configuration of the invention is provided with a clamping element with a curved outer side and a U-shaped recess on the inside. In this context, the lateral flanks of this recess are expediently step-shaped, so that they can be expanded and applied with the respectively fitting steps flush against the corresponding sides of the hand rail. The curved outside means that the supporting base can easily be fixed in different positions, it being advantageous to roughen or notch the outside of the clamping element and/or the insides of the flanks for fixing in the selected position.
In another configuration of the invention, the supporting arm is connected to one end of a retaining rod, the other end of which rests, for example, against the house wall extending above the balcony or a balcony roof, where it can be screwed or clamped in place. The upper guiding element for the sun protection cloth can then be fitted between the upper ends of the retaining rods, allowing the sun protection cloth to be put up without having to make fixing holes in the masonry.
In this way, the sun protection cloth can also be taken down again without leaving dowel holes or the like.
In another version of the fixing system, a tensioning frame is provided for guiding the upper and lower ends of the sun protection cloth, this frame consisting of two retaining struts for fixing on the house wall and guiding elements mounted at a distance from the retaining struts. This tensioning frame serves to support a second, upper sun protection cloth, which may possibly be stationary.
In this context, another guiding element is provided in the region of the front guiding element for the upper sun protection cloth, its purpose being to fix the lower sun protection cloth. This produces a shade system consisting of two sun protection cloths, this preferably being used when there is no balcony with a balcony roof or a house wall above the projecting balcony to be shaded.
The tensioning frame or the retaining struts can be supported by means of the previously mentioned retaining rods, the angular setting or position or which can be fixed at random due to the variable or pivotable mounting of the lower supporting arms.